POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A woman pretended to be behind the wheel of an SUV that struck a 6-year-old boy in a hit-and-run crash to “protect” her daughter from getting arrested, according to the Auburndale Police Department.
The crash happened around 6:20 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Reiter Drive and Robert Avenue.
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According to the police department, a silver Mazda SUV hit the boy, and witnesses nearby saw the vehicle leave the area “but remained within the neighborhood.”
The boy was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he remains in stable condition, officials said.
Officers located the vehicle on Robert Avenue and spoke with the registered owner, 68-year-old Cheryl Ann Alexander, who said she did not know anything about the hit-and-run, police said.
“However, further investigation revealed a piece of the vehicle’s grill at the crash site that matched her SUV,” the department said in a release.
According to police, Alexander said her daughter, 34-year-old Shannon Marie Hudson, had been driving the vehicle “but claimed Hudson had left hours before the crash.” Officers determined “additional inconsistencies” with Alexander’s statements and requested to search their residence.
“Alexander ultimately confessed that Hudson was hiding inside the home and admitted she had lied to protect her from getting arrested. Officers located Hudson concealed in a bathroom,” the department said.
Hudson told police she left the crash scene because she only had a learner’s permit, according to the release.
Hudson was arrested and so was her mother, who faces a charge of providing false information.
